Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Green-Collar Youth Jobs, Education, and Training Stimulus Act

Finding

Congress finds that there is a serious and growing need for employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth (including young adults), as demonstrated by statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics stating that, in December 2008— (1)the unemployment rate increased to 7.2 percent, as compared to 4.9 percent in December 2007; (2)the unemployment rate for 16- to 19-year-olds rose to 20.8 percent, as compared to 16.9 percent in December 2007; and (3)the unemployment rate for African-American 16- to 19-year-olds increased to 33.7 percent, as compared to 28 percent in December 2007.

Purposes

The purposes of this Act are— (1)to increase knowledge of the importance of building a green economy; (2)to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy usage; (3)to strengthen the protection of the environment; (4)to decrease carbon emissions; and (5)to increase the number of well-trained youth workers who can obtain well-paying jobs in a range of green-collar industries and other viable industries.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

Green-collar industries

In this section, the term green-collar industries means industries throughout the economy of the United States— (A)that promote energy efficiency, energy conservation, and environmental protection, including promoting renewable energy and clean technology; (B)that offer jobs with substantial pay and benefits; and (C)that are industries in which there is likely to be continued demand for workers. (2)

Local board, low-income individual, Secretary

The terms local board, low-income individual, and Secretary have the meanings given the terms in section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801). (3)

Registered apprenticeship program

The term registered apprenticeship program means an industry skills training program at the postsecondary level that combines technical and theoretical training through structured on-the-job learning with related instruction (in a classroom or through distance learning) while an individual is employed, working under the direction of qualified personnel or a mentor, and earning incremental wage increases aligned to enhanced job proficiency, resulting in the acquisition of a nationally recognized and portable certificate, under a plan approved by the Office of Apprenticeship or a State agency recognized by the Department of Labor.

Green Job Corps Program

(a)

Purposes

The purposes of this section are— (1)to encourage youth participating in the Job Corps to become informed energy- and environmentally-conscious consumers; (2)to enable the youth to acquire and expand skills related to green-collar industries; and (3)to address Job Corps construction needs and energy costs and to make Job Corps centers more energy efficient, including retrofitting facilities and restoring campuses. (b)

Definitions

In this section, the terms enrollee, graduate, and Job Corps Center have the meanings given the terms in section 142 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2882). (c)

General authority

The Secretary is authorized to reserve not more than $500,000,000 of the funds appropriated under this Act to provide work experiences and training described in subsection (d) in green-collar industries. The Secretary shall provide the work experiences and training, in conjunction with activities described in section 148 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2888), under subtitle C of title I of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2881 et seq.) (except that subsections (c) and (d) of section 159 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2899) shall not apply to such experiences and training). (d)

Use of funds

(1)

Skill development program activities

The Secretary shall expand Job Corps skill development program activities by updating occupational training programs (including making changes in curriculum and equipment), including development of necessary academic skills in green-collar industries (including construction, facilities maintenance, and advanced manufacturing). (2)

Paid work opportunities

As part of Job Corps career training, the Secretary shall provide paid work opportunities, in green-collar industries, primarily located at Job Corps centers, in order to address Job Corps construction needs and make those centers more energy efficient, including retrofitting facilities and restoring campuses. In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall give priority to projects that help conserve, develop, or manage public natural resources or public recreational areas, or support the public interest. (3)

Consumer and leadership activities

As part of the Job Corps life skills program, the Secretary shall offer consumer and leadership activities, to create a corps of intelligent and informed energy- and environmentally-conscious consumers, including activities that educate Job Corps members about how they can contribute to minimize the effects of climate change and become future leaders in their local communities who preserve and strengthen energy- and environmentally-conscious practices. (e)

Report to Congress

(1)

Indicator

For purposes of the Green Job Corps program carried out under this section, the indicators of performance shall be— (A)entry of graduates who participated in work experiences described in subsection (d)(2) into unsubsidized employment in a green-collar industry; (B)average wages received by such graduates upon entry into such employment; and (C)number of such graduates who obtain an occupational or education-related credential. (2)

Assessment

The Secretary shall prepare an assessment of the Green Job Corps program that— (A)describes the use of funds made available under this section to carry out the program and the progress achieved through that program; and (B)provides information on the performance of the program on the indicators of performance. (3)

Report

The Secretary shall include the assessment described in paragraph (2) in the corresponding annual report described in subsection (c) of section 159 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2899), in lieu of submitting any of the information described in subsection (c) or (d) of that section 159 with respect to the Green Job Corps program.

YouthBuild Build Green Grants

(a)

General authority

The Secretary is authorized to reserve $300,000,000 of the funds appropriated under this Act to provide to eligible youth education, work experiences (including service), and training, in green-collar industries, especially concerning the weatherization and energy retrofitting of homes of low-income individuals. The Secretary shall provide the services described in this subsection in conjunction with activities described in section 173A(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918a(c)), under the YouthBuild program set forth in section 173A of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2918a) (except that paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of subsection (c), and subsection (d), of such section shall not apply to such services). (b)

Grants

The Secretary is authorized to award from the reserved funds, on a competitive basis, YouthBuild Build Green grants to entities that are recipients of YouthBuild grants under section 173A of such Act. (c)

Application

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (d)

Priority

In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to entities who— (1)demonstrate the ability to leverage additional resources, which may include materials, personnel, and supplies, from other public and private sources; and (2)demonstrate the ability to build a foundation of public-private partnerships in a green-collar industry, related to construction, for future projects carried out by the entities. (e)

Eligible youth

To be eligible to participate in the program carried out under this section, a youth shall meet the requirements of section 173A(e)(1) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2918a(e)(1)). (f)

Use of funds

(1)

Skills development and training

An entity that receives a grant under this section shall use not less than 90 percent of the funds made available through the grant to provide to participants in the program carried out under this section a combination of classroom education and job skills development, through onsite training and work experiences (including construction or rehabilitation of facilities) in a construction trade that makes efficient use of green technologies. Such education and skills development shall be designed to prepare the participants for jobs in green-collar industries in their communities and States. (2)

Supervision and training

The entity may use not more than 10 percent of the grant funds for supervision and training costs related to the activities described in paragraph (1). (g)

Report to Congress

(1)

Indicators

For purposes of the program carried out under this section, the indicators of performance shall be— (A)entry of individuals who completed their participation in the program and who participated in activities described in subsection (f)(1) into registered apprenticeship programs in a construction trade in a green-collar industry or a related trade; and (B)entry of such individuals, who participated in such activities, into unsubsidized employment in a green-collar industry. (2)

Assessment

The Secretary shall prepare an assessment of the program that— (A)describes the use of funds made available under this section to carry out the program and the progress achieved through that program; and (B)provides information on the performance of the program on the indicators of performance. (3)

Report

The Secretary shall annually submit to Congress a report containing the assessment described in paragraph (2).

Green-Collar Youth Opportunity Grants

(a)

Definition

The term community college means a 2-year institution of higher education, as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). (b)

General authority

The Secretary is authorized to reserve $200,000,000 of the funds appropriated under this Act for work experiences and training in green-collar industries for eligible youth. The Secretary shall provide the work experiences and training in conjunction with activities described in section 169(b) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2914(b)), under the Youth Opportunity Grants program described in section 169 of that Act (29 U.S.C. 2914) (except that subsections (a)(3), (b)(2), (d), (e)(2), (f), and (g) of such section shall not apply to such work experiences and training). (c)

Grants

The Secretary is authorized to award from the reserved funds, on a competitive basis, Green-Collar Youth Opportunity Grants to eligible organizations. (d)

Eligible organizations

(1)

In general

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an organization shall be a local board described in section 169(c) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2914(c)) an entity described in section 169(d) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2914(d)), or an entity acting of behalf of an eligible strategic partnership. (2)

Eligible strategic partnership

(A)

In general

For purposes of this subsection, an eligible strategic partnership shall be composed of at least 1 representative of a local board serving a community, and of each of the 8 types of organizations described in subparagraph (B). (B)

Types of organizations

The types of organizations referred to in subparagraph (A) are businesses, unions, labor-management partnerships, schools (including community colleges), public agencies including law enforcement, nonprofit community organizations, economic development entities, and philanthropic organizations, that are actively engaged in providing learning, mentoring, and work opportunities to eligible youth. (3)

Fiscal and administrative agent

The strategic partnership shall designate an entity, which shall be a member of the partnership, as the strategic partnership's fiscal and administrative entity for the implementation of activities under the grant. (e)

Application

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an organization shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. (f)

Priority

In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to organizations located in communities described in subsection (c) or (d)(2) of section 169 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2914). (g)

Eligible youth

To be eligible to participate in a program carried out under this section, a youth shall— (1)be not less than age 14 and not more than age 24; (2)reside in a community described in subsection (c) or (d)(2) of section 169 of such Act; and (3)have multiple barriers to education and career success, as specified by the Secretary. (h)

Use of funds

An organization that receives a grant under this section may use the funds made available through the grant to provide programs of work experiences and training in green-collar industries that include education and paid work experiences. The work experiences shall involve retrofitting buildings (including facilities of small businesses) to achieve energy savings, or enhancing, creating, or preserving public space, within the communities served. In providing the programs, the organization may provide any of the activities described in subsection (b)(1) of that section 169. (i)

Report to Congress

(1)

Indicators

For purposes of the program carried out under this section, the indicators of performance shall be— (A)acquisition of a high school diploma or its generally recognized equivalent by individuals who completed their participation in the program and who participated in training described in subsection (b); (B)entry of such individuals, who participated in work experiences described in subsection (b), into postsecondary education linked to the green economy, including registered apprenticeship programs in a green-collar industry; and (C)entry of such individuals, who participated in work experiences described in subsection (b), into unsubsidized employment in a green-collar industry. (2)

Assessment

Report

The Secretary shall annually submit to Congress a report containing the assessment described in paragraph (2).

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for activities described in this Act $1,000,000,000, which shall be available for the period of January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010.